


verebar petra ignis (i feared the fire and the cliff)

by Musetotheworld



Series: Supercat Slam 7s [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Seven Deadly Sins, SuperCat Slam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 07:07:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11008443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: You have to have a darkness for the dawn to come.Or7 unrelated fics each dealing with one of the 7 Deadly Sins.





	1. Fear leads to anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing can make Kara hurt more than those she loves being at risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrath

It's not often that Kara lets herself get really angry. She's come too close to losing control in the past to feel comfortable with the risk of allowing her darker emotions free reign. She saves that for the training sessions in junkyards, releasing her frustrations in carefully controlled amounts. And between that and the effort she puts into the brighter emotions, it hasn't been an issue in a long time.

But the enemy she's facing today seems to delight in pushing her closer to the edge than she wants to be. She may have learned how to use her anger as strength, but it’s not something she enjoys doing often. Particularly at times like these, when the amount of anger rushing through her would be enough to level the planet should she feel the need. Knowing she could so easily destroy everything has always been a cause for fear, something to be avoided at all costs. But where normally that thought would sicken her, right now all Kara can think is that she'd do just that, if that's what it took to save her family.

She's not even sure what she's fighting, it isn't a species she recognizes. She doesn't know whether it's male, female, something else, or whether their species even  _ has _ a gender differentiation. All she knows is that it had hurt Alex and taken Cat. That's all she has room to know right now. Anything else is superfluous, nothing more than a distraction she can’t afford right now. Planning and pacing mean nothing, all rational thought has been driven from her mind by the heat of her rage. In this moment she’ll gladly burn down the world and herself with it, if that's what it takes to protect her family.

She's so far lost in her anger that she doesn't notice when her enemy goes down, she just continues to advance on its fallen form. Her heat vision continues to strike, burning through even the thick protective scales covering her foes as she keeps them trained on any vulnerable spot she sees.

It's not until she feels a gentle had on her arm that Kara slips out of the near trance she'd fallen into. Even in her frenzied state she recognizes that touch, knows who it is without needing to look. Only two people know her well enough, trust her enough, to approach when she's like this, and only one is ever so careful with her. Alex can't be, can't let herself acknowledge that Kara is that breakable, not in situations like this. Not when she needs her sister to be safe, needs Kara to come home in one piece. When they're in the field, Kara is Supergirl, and Supergirl will always be strong enough to take whatever comes her way. Only rarely does that slip, and only when Kara is in extreme danger. Any other time, that worry is compartmentalized.

Cat though, Cat knows that isn't always the case. She's seen Kara break, seen the sides of her that no one but Alex has seen. And unlike Alex, she can see those cracks even when they're standing beside an alien that could still pose a threat. She can't separate Kara the hero from Kara the woman, not the way Alex  _ has _ to in order to do her job.

"Kara, you've won," Cat says softly when she can tell she has the hero's attention, continuing to move her hands in gentle movements over Kara's arm, giving her something to latch onto. "I'm safe, Alex is back at the DEO being treated, and the threat is over. Let the agents deal with this, okay Supergirl? All you need to do now is breathe."

The calming flow of her words is just what Kara needs to come back to herself, her earlier rage disappearing in the face of Cat's calm assurances. She can go back to being Sunny Danvers for this woman, can shove this darker part of herself back under wraps, deep enough that she can breathe without feeling the weight of it on her chest. It's still there, will always be there, but with Cat at her side she can remember all the good in the world. She can remember what makes it worth it to fight, to stay as bright as the yellow light of Sol.

"Thank you, Cat," Kara says once she's gotten herself fully under control, finally trusting herself to pull her wife into an embrace, needing that level of connection and support to deal with the reality of what she'd almost done.

She'd come so close to crossing a line, one that she's tried so hard to avoid in the past. She hasn't always been successful and her time as a hero has come with several unavoidable decisions, but for the most part she's done her best to stay away from taking that last step. Taking a life is not something she does lightly, never something she gets over entirely. And she's never taken one in anger. If she'd given into her rage, let herself take that step, she knows she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

But with Cat by her side, Kara knows she'll never have to face that possibility. Cat will always be there to pull her back from the edge, to ground her when she feels adrift. She will always have a reason to be better than the anger, than the darkness that she carries within her. And for that, just as much as anything else, Kara will always love Cat with all her heart.

"You want to get us back to the DEO?" Cat says after a minute or two, though the grip of her arms around Kara doesn't waver at all. She's never the first to pull back when Kara is struggling, always willing to hold on as long as the hero needs to recover. "I'm sure Alex is awake by now, I know seeing her will help."

"I need this just a little longer," Kara says quietly. She can hear the agents collecting the alien behind her, and she needs to feel Cat's heartbeat against her own for just a few more minutes before she can stand to pull back even enough to lift Cat into her arms for the flight back. "I was so afraid he was going to hurt you, Cat. I couldn't think."

"I know, darling, I know," Cat says quietly, hands beginning to rub soothing circles on Kara's back under her cape. "But I'm fine, I promise you. You saved me, and you saved Alex. Everything worked out just fine."

Kara nods into Cat's shoulder before taking a deep breath that's only a little shuddery, finally feeling like she might be able to stand on her own once more. She'll still need Cat's presence, still need her close for another day or two, but at least she's past the worst of it.

"Thank you, Cat," Kara says again as she finally pulls back, just far enough to smile down at the woman in her arms. "I love you, so much."

"And I love you, dear. Now, you know as well as I do that your sister is not a patient woman, and I don't have any interest in dealing with your worry if she drags herself out of that hospital bed to track you down." Cat's words are serious, but she keeps her tone light enough to avoid sending Kara back into a spiral. 

"She would, wouldn't she," Kara says, shaking her head at how easy it is to conjure a mental image of Alex doing just that. "We really should get back before she does something stupid like that. J'onn might be the first Martian to develop an ulcer if she disobeys the doctors again."

This is all she needs, Kara thinks as she lifts Cat into the secure hold that's the only way her wife will fly with her. The woman she loves in her arms, her sister safe and waiting for her return. They will always be her reason to keep going, always be there when she needs them. And as long as she can count on them, she will never risk letting them down.

She might have more rage in her soul than anyone would think to look at her, but she doesn't have to worry about that. Not when she will always have the love and support of her family, will always have a reason to rise above.


	2. Docked in Your Port

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara gets it, Clark is kind of a big deal in a building full of reporters. But she really needs Cat to stop flirting with him quite so much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Envy (Rated M)

Kara loves having her cousin visit. She’d tempered the original exuberance his presence had inspired after a few very raw and real conversations with Alex, but she still loves him. And Alex might be her sister, her absolute favorite person on this planet and the one who knows her best, but there’s something about the bond she has with Kal-El that nothing else matches. It’s different, not as deep, but Kara loves it all the same.

But Rao does she hate it when he tags along at CatCo.

She’d had to get used to the adoration he got as Clark Kent, reporter. Even when CatCo is direct competition of the Daily Planet, most of the younger reporters here had grown up studying his work. He was as much a legend as Clark as he was as Kal-El, and Kara had learned to accept that as she began to make her own mark on the world. She was at the beginning of her story; she couldn’t compare herself to where Clark is now. So she’d managed to get past the reactions from others, learned to deal with the hero worship he received every time he walked through the doors.

But even after she’d managed that, she still couldn’t get over the way Cat acted around him. It was shamelessly over the top in a way that made Kara’s skin feel too tight, that left her shifting in discomfort and trying to rid herself of the images that were entirely unwelcome.

At first she’d been able to pretend it was just the fact Cat was making those comments about her baby cousin. Who wouldn’t be a little upset by that, right? But after the first visit it quickly became clear there was to it than that.

If it was just about the fact Clark was her cousin, she could shake it off. He doesn’t seem bothered by it, and Cat’s flirting is harmless. Shameless, yes, but harmless. It was just part of their interactions, and Kara had gotten used to stranger Cat Grant quirks than that in the past. She still wasn’t entirely sure what the woman’s deal with Tom Cruise was, but that hadn’t stopped her from booking the occasional lunch meeting with him.

But Kara knows that it has to be more than that, because she can't move past it. She can't do anything but glower every time Cat fawns over him, or makes some comment that Kara wishes she hadn't heard. And what's more, every time Cat said something, Kara's reaction got worse. She felt hotter, had to fight to keep from crushing anything in her grasp as her hands tightened, and on one notable occasion where Cat blatantly ogled Clark for a full five minutes even had to fight down her heat vision.

And none of that would make sense if it was only a protective discomfort. No, this was something more. This, as Kara came to reluctantly admit, was jealousy. Pure, unadulterated jealousy of the kind she'd never felt before.

It wasn't about what Clark had accomplished this time. It wasn't anything he'd earned, or that he could help. But that didn't matter to Kara. She wanted Cat to look at her the same way, and no matter how often she told herself it was an impossible dream, she couldn't quite let it go. Instead, she just kept dealing with it, every time Clark came to visit.

Clark was the first to call her on it, but Kara just brushed him off. She couldn't talk about it with him, not when she still remembered what he'd looked like as a baby. It was just wrong, just as bad as hearing the way Cat talked about him when he wasn't around. Kara could deal with a lot of uncomfortable things, but talking about her desire to pull her boss aside and kiss her until the jealousy disappeared was a bit much for her.

It's not until Kara manages to catch Cat smirking at her that she realizes what's going on. All of the flirting, all of the innuendo and careful posing, it's all been to get a reaction. And while Kara knows that the CEO thrives on getting a rise out of people, this seems like something more. This amusement seems tinged with the same longing that Kara feels.

At first Kara is sure she'd just imagined it out of her own wishful thinking. After all, there's no way someone like Cat should be interested in someone like her, right? But when she sees the same look again the next time Clark visits, and the time after that, Kara begins to think that there might just be something to the theory.

And in true Supergirl fashion, eventually she throws caution to the winds and jumps in head first, not bothering to think about where she's going or whether there will be time to fly herself to safety. And maybe her heart isn't as bulletproof as the rest of her, but she can deal with the consequences if she's wrong. She isn't sure she can deal with the consequences of not even trying.

So after a careful setup, having James lie and warn Cat that Clark would be dropping by the office later, Kara carefully enters Cat's office after she hears the woman let out a second curse. That should be the indication that Cat has been pushed just far enough to be willing to take her own risk, without being so upset that pushing her any further is asking for trouble.

"What do you want," Cat snaps when Kara pushes the door open. Her tone is sharp, but not tense enough to make Kara worry about the next stage of her plan.

"You seemed tense," Kara says, attempting to sound innocent. "I thought I'd see if you needed a break. It's a beautiful day, and you always seemed calmer after taking a quick break on the balcony."

"Do I look like I have time to take a 'quick break' to you, Kara?" Cat asks incredulously, waving her hand at the piles of work on her desk. "Really, a few months of not managing my calendar and you forget how much work I do on a daily basis."

"Oh, I wouldn't say I forgot, Miss Grant," Kara says with a smile, pushing just that little bit that it will take to get Cat out on the balcony. "But I do know that you had Eve cancel your afternoon appointments, which gives you enough unscheduled time to sit and have a drink for a few minutes."

Kara had been counting on that fact, had even told Eve that she should probably go ahead and just cancel the rest of the day entirely, promising that she would take the fall if Cat was angry about that. But Kara is hoping that things go well enough to avoid Cat's anger. And not just because a pissed off Cat is something even a superhero is wise to avoid. No, if things work out the way Kara is hoping, she'll be very, very happy indeed.

"Thank you, Kara," Cat says a few minutes after they've settled in on the balcony, some of her anger seeming to dissipate into the quiet. "I suppose I did need this after all."

"I think you did," Kara agrees, smiling to herself. "You seemed upset, did something happen?"

The look Cat shoots her is barely one step above a murderous glare, and Kara knows that somehow she's tipped her hand. But somehow she isn't afraid, instead straightening a little in her seat to meet Cat's gaze head on, head tilted just slightly as she waits for Cat's response.

"You planned this," Cat says after she tosses back the last of her drink, and Kara doesn't even try to hold back her smirk. It's nowhere near the quality expression Cat can pull off as easily as breathing, but she thinks it's a perfectly acceptable attempt.

"Why would I do something like that?" Kara says, her attempt at appearing innocent so over the top that Cat doesn't even bother to dignify it with a response.

"Clark was never coming today, was he?" she asks instead, and Kara shakes her head, smile still in place. "You finally figured out what I was doing."

"You mean flirting to make me jealous?" Kara says daringly, knowing the time for holding back is past. "Yes, I figured it out."

"And responded with a ploy of your own, I'm impressed," Cat says, standing from her chair to cross to where Kara is sitting. "Now, was this just an attempt to get back at me?"

"I think it was more an attempt to get you," Kara says, flushing as soon as the words leave her mouth. Not even her Supergirl confidence is much help when it comes to things like this. 

"So you think you can handle me?" Cat asks as she drops her hands to her sides, slowly grabbing handfuls of her skirt, the bunching revealing a few more inches of smooth skin that Kara longs to explore.

"I think I'd enjoy finding out," Kara says, mouth going dry as Cat teasingly inches her skirt higher on her thighs until she can straddle her legs, the warmth of her body beyond distracting.

"That makes two of us," Cat says as she leans forward, her breath brushing against Kara's ear as she speaks, sending a shiver through her. "Now then, you've got me right where you wanted me, so why not show me the rest of your plan?"

Kara isn't about to admit that she hadn't had a plan for this part, hadn't expected Cat to be so forward once the truth is out. She'd hoped for a few kisses, maybe a promise of a conversation to come. At most she'd hoped for the chance to press Cat against the balcony wall and kiss her so thoroughly they both ended up dizzy.

Instead she falls back on the greatest skill she'd learned as Cat's assistant, and begins to improvise. First she leans forward and claims that kiss she'd been wanting, not surprised when Cat takes the lead as soon as their lips meet. Cat has been reacting to what Kara has done, even if she'd shown no hesitation when it came to escalating things to include physical contact, but it had always been up to Kara to actually cross the lines between them. Even Cat straddling her lap hadn't done that, not when they both knew exactly why Kara had set this whole thing up.

Once that line is crossed though Cat is right there with Kara, bringing her hands up to tangle in blonde locks as she guides the kiss, moving Kara to where she wants her. And Kara is more than happy to give up the control, pulling Cat closer until their bodies are flush, content to just let herself feel everything in this moment.

All too soon it isn't enough for either of them, and Cat's hands begin to wander, one leaving where it had been grabbing a fistful of Kara's hair to drift down along her neck and shoulder, tracing paths along her collarbone until Kara reaches up to guide it lower, stepping them across that boundary as well.

Cat doesn't even hesitate when she does, immediately giving a testing squeeze and pulling back enough to smirk at the groan it draws from Kara. "Anything you want to tell me here, Kara?" she asks, and Kara doesn't even hesitate.

"I want you," she says evenly, reaching up between them to unbutton her shirt slowly, listening as Cat's breath hitches when the lace of her bra is revealed. Because even if she hadn't expected this particular outcome, she'd made sure she was prepared for every possible eventuality no matter how unlikely. And oh, is she glad she did.

Because Cat seems to appreciate the effort, if the way she leans down as to kiss and nip her way along the edge of the lace as soon as Kara's shirt is out of the way is any indication. And even if this is completely unexpected, Kara is never, ever going to complain about the way Cat's mouth feels against her nipple through the fabric of her bra. Especially not when that mouth doesn't stop even as a hand joins in on her other breast, moving and tweaking in time with the sweeps of Cat's tongue against her.

Before long Kara is practically writhing in the chair beneath Cat, desperate for more but not sure how to ask for it. They're still at work, it's the middle of the day, and Kara knows there's no way Cat is willing to risk more than this.

Which is why the hand at the zipper of her jeans comes as such a surprise, jolting Kara a little as she adjusts to the rush of heat it sends through her. And they may still be surrounded by people, there might still be a risk that someone will walk into Cat's office and catch them, but Kara can't bring herself to care. She wants this, wants to know what Cat's fingers feel like against her, and if anyone dares interfere with that then Kara will just have to show them what a spectacularly bad decision that was.

All thoughts of being caught are driven from her mind when Cat slips her hand inside her pants, cupping her with the fabric of her panties still separating them. A few frantic nods of permission is all it takes for Cat to move even that last barrier out of the way, and then it's all Kara can do to keep from shouting her pleasure loud enough to attract attention, retaining just enough focus to control herself.

It's hard though, when Cat's fingers are trailing through her wetness, circling lightly around her clit before dipping down to tease her entrance, the tight confines of her pants meaning Cat's palm is pressed directly against the bundle of nerves.

"Did you want this when you decided to get back at me?" Cat whispers into her ear as she manages to sink two fingers into Kara's tight heat, and Kara's back arches at the dual sensations of being filled and having Cat's lips teasing against her ear with every word. "Or did I manage to surprise you? Did you think about this when you put on the lingerie? Did you wonder if I would push you down into the chair, make you come undone with an entire building of people thirty feet away? Or did you expect me to bend you over the railing?"

As Cat continues to ask those filthy questions in her ear, Kara struggles to hold onto her control, locking her muscles into place as she rises higher and closer to the edge, eyes shut against the heat she can feel rising in them, mouth clamped firmly shut to hold back the moans that want to escape. And all of that added tension is enough to make her orgasm that much stronger when she finally falls apart, every limb tense and shaking with her release.

By the time Kara manages to recover Cat has removed her hand from Kara's jeans and shifted her weight back so they're no longer pressed quite so tightly together, looking down at Kara with a smug look on her face.

"The lighthouse technique might not be my best work, but I do love it when it's effective," she says with a smirk, and Kara gapes up at her.

"You wanted this to happen," Kara says, dazed as much by that realization as she is by the intense orgasm Cat had just given her.

"Of course I did," Cat says, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Kara's lips. "You're remarkably slow on the uptake, but actively coming on to you was out of the question. When I noticed how upset you got when I flirted with your cousin, it seemed like the perfect solution."

"My- cousin?" Kara stammers, debating the wisdom of denying everything so soon after what had just happened between them, and before she has a chance to reciprocate.

"Oh, please, as if the two of you are fooling anyone," Cat says with a sigh, and Kara gives in with a nod. There's no convincing her at this point, and Kara really just wants to get to some actual privacy so she can see what Cat looks like when she comes.

"Does this mean you'll stop flirting with him?" Kara asks hopefully.

"I'll think about it," Cat says with a wink, and Kara feels her stomach drop slightly. "But maybe you can convince me.

And that sounds like a great plan to Kara. In fact, she'll start right now.

 


	3. 3 A.M.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is used to hiding just how much she needs to eat. Cat isn't used to letting secrets stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gluttony

"How many pizzas does that make?" Kara hears from behind her, and she looks around sheepishly to find Cat staring at her in mild incredulity. She usually manages to hide her appetite from everyone, or at least hide just how much she actually needs to eat, but last night had been a major battle and she hasn't had a chance to refuel yet. So she'd gotten a little too focused on eating to notice the sound of Cat's footsteps behind her.

"Um, this is my third," Kara says once she's swallowed the mouthful she'd been chewing, setting the remainder of the slice down with an involuntary whine. She needs at least another two slices before the worst of her hunger is past, and then she'll be moving on to the foods that do little to help the immediate hunger but help her stay full a little longer than the processed foods she gulps down first.

"I don't remember the last time I had three slices, let alone three pizzas," Cat says, eyes narrowed as she takes in the empty wrappers that sit around Kara's placemat. "That's not all you've had, is it?"

"No," Kara admits as her head ducks a little in shame. She'd never wanted to admit to this part of herself with the people she's dated before, and she's not particularly comfortable doing so now. Only the fact that it's Cat makes things different, but even that isn't enough to overcome a lifetime of feeling weird because of how different she was. "I had a rough night last night, I needed to recover some of my strength."

That had meant a solid five minutes of scarfing down what could charitably be called pure sugar, which wasn't as pleasant as Kara's usual sweet tooth would think. She liked sweets, liked ice cream and donuts and other sugary concoctions that would rot the teeth of any human, but when she was starving she really just wanted to get to the actual foods in front of her. Sugars gave her a quick boost of needed energy, but they didn't really do anything for the gnawing hunger in her gut. Sometimes she really hated her Kryptonian biology and the way it processed nutrients on this planet.

"Will the pizzas be enough for you, or should I order more?" Cat asks as she walks to Kara's side, wrinkling her nose a little as she shifts the empty wrappers. Kara has seen the contents of her pantry, and she knows that the cheap snacks she'd bought on her way home would never make it further than the trash can if it were up to Cat.

"I'll need to eat something else," Kara admits, picking up her abandoned slice to finish it quickly, before the hunger starts to creep back in. "I was going to grab a few of the special bars the DEO designed for me, they help keep me full for a little while."

"Are you telling me you're always this hungry?" Cat asks, and Kara nods, afraid of the reaction and what it might mean. "Is there nothing but those bars that help?"

"There are some foods that do," Kara says, thinking of the science that had gone into designing the energy bars. They're compressed and specialized to help as much as possible, but the nutrients they give can be found in other places. "We think that the yellow sun ramps up my metabolism and fast tracks the way Kryptonians process their meals. Sugars first, then carbs, then the proteins."

"So you need steak," Cat says, already reaching for her phone with one hand and the fridge with the other. "We can work with that."

"Cat, it's like 3am," Kara protests, grabbing another slice of pizza as she stands to cross the kitchen and take the phone from Cat's hand. "We don't need to wake some chef to make me a steak when it's not even light outside. I'll be fine, I promise."

"I was calling to leave a message for the company that delivers the groceries to double my order, actually," Cat says with a challenging look, and Kara flushes a little in response. "But I am going to make you something, so sit down and finish your pizza while I cook."

"You don't have to cook me steak at 3am either, Cat," Kara says even as she goes back to her pizza. "I'll be fine, I'm used to this."

"Yes, well just because you're used to it does not mean I have to just roll over and accept I can't do anything to help," Cat says as she grabs a few ingredients and pans from around her kitchen. "You need food, I can cook. It seems like a fairly straightforward equation here."

"But I don't want to be a burden," Kara finally explains, staring down at her plate as she hears Cat still behind her. "I know you should be sleeping right now, even if you insist you can survive on two hours."

"You are not a burden, Kara Zor-El," Cat says fiercely, using her full name the way she only does when she wants to be sure Kara is listening to every word. "You are not now and you never will be. I want to be doing this for you, so you just work on finishing that pizza and let me cook you something, okay?"

Kara nods, not even sure whether Cat will be able to see her, and silently turns back to the food already in front of her as she slowly takes another bite. She's trying not to cry, completely unused to the level of care that Cat is showing her right now. She's more used to her lovers getting frustrated at her constantly snacking or waking them up in the middle of the night. Even the Danvers, supportive and loving as they'd been, hadn't welcomed the chore that was making sure Kara got enough to eat at all hours of the day.

"Oh, darling, I didn't mean to make you cry," Cat says from behind her, and Kara can hear something being dropped in the moment before Cat has made her way to the table and pulled Kara into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, I promise I was only trying to help."

"I know," Kara says as she lets herself be held, as she begins to realize that this thing with Cat must be deeper than she'd thought, than she'd let herself hope. This kind of softness is something more than the relatively casual air their relationship has had thus far, and it's something Kara hadn't known she'd craved until Cat was giving it to her. "I know, Cat. It's just that no one's ever just accepted this the way you just did. I was always an inconvenience."

"Then the more fools they," Cat says, leaning back enough to look Kara in the eye with a stern look. "Now then, I am going to go finish this meal for you, and then we're going to talk about all of that, okay? No more pushing your emotions down because you're afraid they'll send me running. I may not be the best at opening up, but that doesn't mean you need to hold yourself back, okay Kara? If there's something you need, then I want to know."

"I love you, Cat," Kara says as she nods, not even realizing what she'd said until she sees Cat smirking at her.

"Of course the first time you say those words is just after I offer to cook for you," Cat teases, and Kara's blush of embarrassment deepens at the words. "I suppose the way to your heart really is through your stomach, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry-" Kara begins, only to be cut off by one of Cat's fingers finding her lips as the woman looks at her with raised brow.

"There will be no apologizing for declarations of love either, darling. Not even for the timing. Just think how amusing a tale this will be down the road." That gets a groan but also a smile, and Kara doesn't try to apologize again. "And before you begin to overthink it, I love you too, Kara."

Kara doesn't even try to stop the smile that crosses her face at that, standing to pull Cat into a better embrace than the last before leaning back enough to kiss her. And that might have been more than enough for them both, all they needed from their night, but of course before they can get too wrapped up in each other Kara's stomach rumbles loudly, making them both jump at the sudden noise.

"I think that's my cue," Cat says with a wink as she pulls back, and Kara pouts as she watches her walk away.

She also grabs another slice of pizza, but she thinks that after that little demonstration she can be forgiven. And she definitely thinks that she'd better eat up now, because she's certain to need the energy before the night is out.


	4. The Blessings of Rao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's the last daughter of Krypton. She's the heir to the House of El. That's supposed to mean something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pride
> 
> All warnings that go along with red!K are probably applicable here. There is no actual red!k and it only mildly deals with the aftermath of canon, but just to be safe.

It kills Kara, the years she has to spend not helping. It nearly breaks her to hear sirens in the distance or the sounds of someone in pain. Hearing about national disasters that Clark can't get to is a weight that nearly breaks her, super strength or no. She could be doing so much, but she's been told so many times that she needs to hide, to protect herself. That she will put her family at risk if she tries to be a hero. That the world has Superman, and all she needs to be is Kara.

So when she interviews with Cat, when she turns away from the sight of a forest fire on the news that she could help with if only it were safe, Kara decides to throw herself into this new job with everything she has. Maybe if she does that, she can forget the rest of what she could do if given half a chance. Maybe she can change the world in another way, at Miss Grant's side.

Instead she mostly gets coffees and books appointments, doing all the little things that anyone with an deep attention to detail could manage. That's not to say that it's easy, or that she doesn't occasionally cheat and use a quick burst of super speed to keep up with the never ending workload that Cat puts on her shoulders, but it's not exactly some impossible task that only the last daughter of Krypton could be managing.

It stings, to know that she's capable of so much and yet unable to do anything. She can't be a hero, she can't make a difference at Cat's side, she can't do anything. Is this really the life her parents had planned for her? Hiding in the shadows like some outcaste worker only fit for the meanest of jobs? She'd been a prodigy, the pride of the House of El, and now she's been forbidden from wearing anything with the symbol lest it draw danger her way.

The loss of her crest is the worst part of it all. She understands the need for caution, she would hate it if her actions were the reason someone close to her was hurt. That's why she'd agreed to wear the glasses for so many years, why she's still willing to hide behind them and search for a normal life. But by Rao, she wants to find something that makes her feel needed.

When she saves Alex's plane, Kara gets a glimpse of what she might have needed, the rush that reminds her that she is capable of so much more on this planet. She can fly, she can lift planes, she can do so much more than anyone else is capable of. And she's been holding back, afraid of what revealing herself might mean, but that concern is long past at this point. She can't exactly uncatch the plane. The world knows she's here, and that's the end of that.

When she sees that Cat has named her 'Supergirl' she can't believe what she's reading at first, sure that it's some lingering translation error. She still has issues sometimes with certain words and her spelling is occasionally atrocious, and she hopes that this is one of those times. But no, she's reading it correctly. Her cousin gets Superman, but she gets 'girl'.

Yelling does no good, almost gets her fired before James can save her. And when she's in this mood, even the fact that he'd helped isn't enough to curb her anger. Accepting the help of others is supposed to be a sign of strength on Krypton, but all Kara can focus on is the fact that she should have been able to do it herself. Her cousin had, and she should be able to do the same. She should be stronger than he is, even. She'd grown up under the warm light of Rao, she should have the blessings of his strength in her soul just as she has the blessings of Sol in her bones.

It stings, admitting that maybe she wasn't as ready as she thought after everything that happened after she was hit with red Kryptonite, that maybe she'd jumped into things without thinking them through enough. Maybe she'd risked herself too soon, maybe she should never have taken this leap at all. Maybe her family had been right, maybe she should have stayed as just Kara, not tried to be a hero. Maybe her dream of making a difference should have died with Krypton.

She doesn't have any hard answers, no way of knowing whether the decision she reaches is the right one, but Kara still finds herself flying to Cat's balcony once she's made up her mind. She'll need the CEO's help for this, and more than that she owes Cat for her help. Her criticism, while painful, had helped give Kara a push she'd surely needed. The least Kara can do is return that favor.

"Supergirl, it's late," Cat says when she lands, and Kara debates the wisdom of pointing out that the woman is still in her office. But long habit as Cat's assistant stills her tongue.

"I needed to talk to you," she says, the serious tone getting Cat's attention. "I needed to thank you for your unwavering support, but I think I'm doing more harm than good at this point. The world doesn't want me, or need me. I'm going to hang up the cape, go back to my life before I became Supergirl."

"Like _hell_ you are," Cat says fiercely, stepping right into Kara's space the way no one has since the incident. And the fact that she's doing so not even two feet from where Kara had thrown her over the edge of the balcony reinforces just how brave this woman is, just how deserving of Kara's respect. "You're not giving up, you're not admitting to failure. You're better than that, Supergirl. You got hit with something and made some bad decisions. People will come around."

"But I hurt them," Kara says, turning to pace the balcony. The hand at her shoulder startles her, and she looks back over her shoulder at Cat in disbelief. She'd been impressed that Cat was willing to stand next to her, the fact that she was willing to reach out and touch is another level entirely. "Miss Grant, I hurt them, I hurt you. I thought I was ready to be a superhero, but I'm not. I'm not strong enough, and it has nothing to do with how much I can lift. The things I felt, the things I did, they were the worst part of me. But they were still part of me, and the people of this city deserve better than that."

"You mean like being abandoned by the hero they've come to depend on?" Cat says acidly, and Kara flinches. She really is trying to do the right thing for once, to put the needs of the city ahead of her own need to make a difference. She wants to help, wants to use her skills and abilities, but maybe it's better if she helps by withdrawing.

"It's not like that," she protests as she turns away again, wanting to make Cat understand. "I hurt them, Cat. I may not have been wholly myself, but I hurt them. And the smartest thing to do is pull back and let them heal. That's all there is to it. I can go back to my human life, settle back in and forget about pushing too hard or too fast."

"Yes, because Supergirl should really be focused on scheduling appointments for the entire day," Cat says, and Kara forces herself to hold still and not react. Surely that's just a lucky guess, Cat had been fooled by J'onn the last time she'd suspected this. They'd already dealt with this problem once before.

"What I do as a human has no possibility of hurting anyone," Kara tries again, careful to avoid giving any confirmation or sign that Cat's words had been closer to the truth than a lucky guess. "And there's almost no chance that it will happen again, if I do this. It's the smartest choice."

"No, it's fucking _not_ ," Cat says fiercely, turning Kara around until she has no choice but to meet her eyes. "You cannot give in, Kara. You cannot let yourself get discouraged because it's taking longer than we thought. People are stubborn, but they'll come around. You just have to give them time."

"I- I'm not-" Kara tries, more on instinct than anything else. If Cat knows again, then there's very little chance of convincing her otherwise at this point.

"Oh, save it," Cat says, raising her hand to jab a finger into Kara's chest directly over her crest. "I can go back to pretending I don't know later if you're that damn insistent about it, but I'm not going to sit by and let you fuck this up without putting up any fight at all. You have a chance to do amazing things, Kara Danvers. And I know you. If you hang up that cape, you'll hang up all your ambition with it. You'll fetch coffee and file papers for years on end without striving for more, without making the difference I know you're capable of. And that, far more than the loss of Supergirl, would be a damn shame. And I am not about to sit by and let you make that choice, not if there's anything I can do about it."

This is all Kara has needed, someone to believe in her more than she believes in herself. Alex does, but then Alex always has. Her support means everything to Kara, but it's not the unbiased confidence that Cat is offering. And as much as Kara loves her sister, the fact that Cat is the one telling her this does make a difference this time around.


	5. Selfless or Selfish?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara will do anything, give everything, no matter what it is if that's what it takes to keep the ones she loves safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greed

Heroes are supposed to be selfless. They're supposed to be more concerned with the fate of the world than with their own lives, and they're supposed to always do the right thing, always make the right choice.

And mostly, Kara managed to live up to that. It wasn't always easy, even though she wasn't actually human she had the same failings as anyone else. But for the most part, she found being a hero fulfilling enough that making the right decisions came easily. She could, and would, and has, risked her life without second thought when the situation arises.

But when the choice becomes the planet or someone she loves, that decision becomes a lot harder. Kara has given so much to keep the people of this world safe, but she won't give them that. She can't bring herself to even think of it.

"Supergirl, you have to act now," she hears Alex say in her ear, but still she hesitates. The alien is climbing the side of CatCo, and Kara can tell that the building hasn't been fully evacuated. And even though she can see her enemy taking aim at the building across the street that also hasn't been evacuated, she can't seem to move, can't seem to make herself fly down and fight. Because the floor that he's over right now? It's the floor that Cat is on, and he's holding on so tightly that Kara can see support beams straining with the stress. Even if she avoids driving him through the building and out into open space, ripping him away from his perch might bring down the ceiling on her lover.

"I can't, Alex," Kara says, the words ripping at her throat as if she'd swallowed Kryptonite. "I can't, I can't do it, Cat's in there."

"Supergirl, you have to," Alex says firmly, and Kara knows she's right. "It's a few lives or an entire building, and you know what she'd want you to choose."

"Then she can be mad at me for this later," Kara says, angling her body down and towards the alien. But not to fight, not to tear him from the building and risk Cat's safety. No, Kara dives down and directly in front of the blast he lets loose at the other building, feeling the fire scorch her nerve endings as she twists in mid air in a futile attempt to put them out.

She'd known it would hurt, knew that the chemical signature of his blasts was one of the few things she was vulnerable to on this Earth. What she hadn't expected was the sheer amount of pain, or the way it makes her brain seem to stop working as she struggles to draw a breath as the flames around her sucked the oxygen from the air.

Her last thought as she falls from the sky is that it was worth it, worth it to be sure Cat was okay.

***

"You'd better open your eyes soon," Kara hears when she regains consciousness, feeling floaty in a way that has nothing to do with her powers and tells her that she's probably heavily drugged at the DEO. Which is better than dead, the outcome she'd been expecting, but also means she's likely in for a rude awakening when the fog rolls away from her mind a little more and she starts to feel the full extent of what her stupidity had cost her. "You've been asleep for two days, Kara. I need you to wake up and tell me it's all going to be okay."

Kara tries, she really does. She's always gone above and beyond to give Cat what she needs, and lying mostly unconscious in a hospital bed isn't going to stop her this time, not if she has anything to say about it.

Which apparently she doesn't, she realizes as she fails to move even a single muscle no matter how hard she tries. Not even a twitch of her finger to let Cat knows she hears her. She can't open her eyes, she can't squeeze Cat's hand, she can't even scratch her nose where it's beginning to itch. Hell, she can't even scrunch her nose in an attempt to get it to stop. She's frozen, and for a long moment Kara panics as she remembers the darkness of the Phantom Zone.

But she'd been alone in the Phantom Zone, alone in the complete darkness that surrounded her. She isn't alone now, she can feel Cat's hand in her own, hear her soothing voice next to her. And even through closed eyelids she can see the brightness of the lights above her, the yellow sun lamps working to recharge her cells and get her back on her feet. She isn't alone now, isn't trapped. She will recover, and this time it won't take over two decades.

"What on Earth were you thinking, Kara? I've told you before, you can't just throw yourself into danger to save me, I'm not worth that. The city needs you far more than they could ever need me."

Kara wishes she could move, could argue that point until Cat sees what she sees. For all her abilities, all her powers, Kara is only one person, and can only do so much. And while Cat is also only one person, she is one person with an entire media platform at her disposal, one person with the power to sway opinion and expose truth to thousands of others. And that is just as important as anything Kara will ever accomplish.

"We think she should be coming out of the sedation soon," Kara hears another voice say, and feels another familiar hand take the one that Cat isn't already holding. She can hear the worry in Alex's voice the same way she'd heard it in Cat's, and feels guilty that she'd upset the two people most important to her in this world. "Kara, sweetie, just squeeze our hands when you wake up, okay? We're both right here for you, you just need to wake up for us."

Kara tries, she really does, but she can't seem to make her muscles cooperate just yet. She'll get there, she knows that well enough from the times this has happened before, but she's not the most patient of people on the best days, and right now she really needs to be able to open her eyes and see that Cat is safe. She can hear her, feel the strength of her grip, but she can't see her sitting next to the bed, undoubtedly looking tired but still so gorgeous that she takes Kara's breath away.

"How are we going to knock some sense into her this time?" Cat asks after a few minutes pass without any reaction from Kara, and now she really wishes she were awake enough to join the conversation. She can usually get out of the worst of it if she tries hard enough, neither Cat nor Alex has managed to build up much of an immunity to her pout. But lying still and motionless, she has no defense against their worry, or against the plots to make her pay for putting them through this. And once they set their mind to something, Kara knows better than to think they'll change them.

"I don't know that we can," Alex says with a sigh, and Kara can picture the look on her face clearly. The frown of displeasure, mixed with love and a healthy dose of exasperation. "She dove into that blast because she wouldn't risk you getting hurt. I don't think we'll be able to convince her against taking that plan of action in the future."

"She's too damn selfless for her own good," Cat agrees, and Kara thinks she would laugh, if she had the ability. It's not selfless at all, it's selfish. It's a need to keep the people she loves safe, and damn the rest of the world. It's unheroic and a darker part of who she is than Kara is particularly comfortable considering.

"You gonna make her sleep on the couch?" God, Kara hopes Cat doesn't do that to her. That monstrosity looks impressive, like it should be the most comfortable thing she's ever sunk into, but it's anything but. Even her muscles get sore after a few hours on that couch.

"I should," Cat says, and Kara feels her lower lip jut out just a hair, too small a movement to be noticed and possibly nothing more than wishful thinking. "But I think I'm going to need her close for a long time after this one."

"Maybe I'll put her through extra practice sessions," Alex muses, and this time Kara manages an actual pout, one that gets Alex's attention even if it's all the movement she's capable of at the moment. "Oh my god, Kara? Are you waking up? Come on, sis, squeeze my hand, please."

"You can do this, Kara," Cat echoes, confidence clear in her voice as she joins Alex in coaxing her fully awake. "Just let us know you're in there, please darling."

And with both Cat and Alex asking her for this, there's no way Kara can deny them. It's barely more than a fleeting pressure against their hands, a bare shadow of the grip they have on her, but it's there. Because Kara will give anything for the ones she loves, anything to keep them safe and happy. No matter what the cost.


	6. The way you bend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara usually has impeccable control. But not when Cat has anything to say about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lust (Rated E)

Kara's control was normally extraordinary. She'd honed it well all through high school, all through the stress of trying to adapt to the strange planet that was her new home. She'd learned every tip possible to make it easier on herself, every trick of mental focus to keep her sometimes wayward powers in line. Control was key.

When she meets Miss Grant, Kara finds the one person on this planet that can test that control without even trying. From the very first day, from the very first time she sees Cat stand and lean over in the tight skirt she'd chosen for the day, Kara had known she was in for a rough time.

Not that she minded all that often. She managed to keep her control and composure most of the time, and any time she did slip it was never all that serious. Her reputation as a bit of a klutz ensured that much. If she dropped a few papers or stammered a few words, people just assumed that it was a Kara mannerism and let it slide.

But the first time she sees Cat in a tuxedo jacket, undershirt daringly forgone  and the low button giving the jacket a neckline more daring than any dress she's worn before, Kara nearly burns a hole in the wall with her heat vision. It's too much in all the right ways and not enough in all the wrong ones, and Kara has to fight to keep herself under control. Her secret wouldn't be very secret if she suddenly started tearing doorknobs off left and right every time she opened a door for Miss Grant, or if she started floating when she got a little half smile and 'well done, Keira'.

The tuxedo is the worst, though over the years Kara is treated to a few more daring outfits that nearly overcome her ability to keep her powers in check. And while part of her is afraid of what might happen if she fails, most of her mind (and the rest of her body) is far more concerned with thoughts of what it would be like to trace the almost indecently exposed skin with fingers and mouth until Cat is gasping against her and begging for more.

Which of course, Kara would give without hesitation as soon as she was asked. Anything Cat wanted from her, anything at all, Kara would be right there to supply. Whatever it took to make her boss happy.

That doesn't change much after they start dating, though Cat does make Kara promise to tell her if she ever starts to take advantage of that fact. But Kara loves to give, loves to make people happy, and she especially loves to make Cat happy. A single gasped 'good girl' is enough to have her fighting to keep her feet on the ground for the rest of the day, and Kara loves it.

It's also nice that Cat still wears those dresses and suits to parties, even if now that she knows how Kara feels about them the teasing becomes far more pointed than it used to be. Now she leans over multiple times a night  to stretch the fabric over her frame, leaving Kara unable to tear her eyes away from the sight. And now that she knows what Cat's body feels like, what she tastes like when she comes undone, keeping her control is always that much harder.

The night Cat wears another tuxedo is the night Kara's control finally breaks. Just as before there is no shirt, just a jacket taunting Kara with the hint of curves beneath, but this time the jacket is a deep blue a few shades darker than her supersuit. And in the detailed and intricate embroidery on the lapels, picked out in a deep red that's dark enough to appear almost black, the crest of her house is hidden in the middle of a particularly complex twist of swirls and curls, invisible to anyone who isn't looking very, very carefully. And one of Kara's strengths has always been her attention to detail.

Cat doesn't seem surprised when Kara finally breaks, guiding her out of the main room and down several deserted hallways until she finds an empty room where they're unlikely to be disturbed. She just keeps up a running litany of every filthy thing she wants Kara to do to her, teasing her for being so desperate that they're not even going to leave the party before Kara fucks her.

"You know what the sight of you in that tuxedo does to me," Kara growls as she backs Cat into the room and shuts the door behind her, already dipping her head to kiss along the exposed skin she'd been dreaming of all night. "And then you put my crest on there. You can't tell me you didn't want this to happen."

"Of course I wanted this to happen," Cat says with a smirk, letting her head fall back against the wall as Kara's lips continue to move. "The way you stare at me every time we attend one of these things? I've been expecting you to do this for months."

Kara whines in displeasure at the thought that she could have had this for months now, but right now there are more important things to focus on, like the button holding Cat's jacket shut and hiding soft curves from her view. She can regret lost time later, right now she just needs this.

With a careful twist of her fingers the button is free, and Kara wastes no time raising her hands along the soft planes of Cat's torso, drawing the lapels back and freeing Cat to view. The shiver her touch sends through Cat's body is clear to feel, and Kara needs no instruction to continue her touch, leaning in for a kiss as her fingers begin to work over Cat's breasts, teasing at her nipples as Cat begins to pant into the kiss.

When Kara knows her lover has to be reaching the point that she'll need to catch her breath she backs off, moving her lips to Cat's neck as she places chaste kisses along her pulse in a way that she knows drives Cat crazy. And between that and the continued movements of her hands, she isn't surprised when a firm hand moves to her shoulder and directs her down to her knees. Tonight isn't a night for teasing, and Kara doesn't want it to be. Tonight she just wants to feel Cat come apart on her tongue.

"God, you're amazing," Cat groans out, and Kara smirks as she fiddles with the button of the slacks. She knows what it does to Cat when she moves so willingly at a simple touch, not even pretending to do anything but bend and give in to the way Cat directs her.

It's a matter of seconds (and a small burst of super speed) to have one of Cat's legs free so she can rest it over Kara's shoulder in the way she likes best, able to pull Kara closer even if she needs to grasp at the wall behind her for balance. And Kara absolutely intends to drive her that far, to the point that she can't think, can only feel. And while she'll never let Cat fall, she knows that sometimes having that little bit of illusion that she could drives her higher. Cat loves to be in control, loves to be in control of Kara, but sometimes she likes that little edge of uncertainty, of not knowing whether she'll be able to stay on her feet. It provides the perfect counterpoint to the rest of it all, and Kara loves to give it to her.

She already knows it isn't a night for teasing, but Kara still starts slowly, wanting to draw this out just a little. She's already craving the moment she makes Cat fall apart, but the journey to that point has its own pleasures, and Kara wants to experience as much of them as she can. So she starts light, avoiding Cat's clit as she carefully traces every fold and teases at her entrance with her tongue, knowing the light touches will do little more than drive Cat crazy.

"You know what I want, Kara," Cat manages to gasp out as she pulls her closer, thigh flexing next to Kara's head in a way that always makes her feel lightheaded with desire. "Stop teasing and fuck me, dammit."

That's all Kara needs to do exactly that, sliding her tongue inside Cat as she curls and licks, wanting to taste as much of her as she possibly can. Of every flavor on Earth, the taste of Cat on her lips is her favorite, the one she craves more than anything else. She can never get enough, no matter how many times they do this, she always wants more.

But she knows Cat prefers the strong thrusts of three fingers once she's this worked up, and with only a little reluctance Kara switches her tongue for her fingers, starting with two until Cat is ready for the third, always working up to that added stretch. And this is almost as good, she can still taste Cat with every flick of her tongue against her clit, and when she needs more she moves down to lap at where her fingers are disappearing, knowing the blended sensations will push Cat into an even stronger climax than she'd already been heading towards.

The sounds Cat is making have become mostly unintelligible, but Kara flushes as she hears a 'good girl' or two mixed in with the cursing and general moaning. She's glad they'd found a room as abandoned and out of the way as this one, because something about the setting seems to be heightening the sensations for Cat. Kara has never heard her this loud outside of the few times they've tried something new while Carter is with his father, and she wouldn't have expected being in semipublic to be one of those things.

But she's not going to argue with the results, she's just going to throw everything she can into making Cat feel as amazing as possible. Every bit of knowledge she's gained about her lover comes into play, from the way a careful twist of her fingers on every stroke draws out a choked moan and a slap of Cat's palm against the wall, to the way a quick burst of superspeed from her tongue has Cat nearly sobbing at the wash of sensation. Her thrusts grow firmer, hovering just on the right side of too much as Kara keeps a careful eye on Cat to make sure she doesn't actually hurt her, and Kara knows that no human has ever been able to give Cat what she wants like this. No human could keep up this pace, or the strength of each movement.

The knowledge that only she can do this, only she has been able to see Cat this wrecked on the fulfilment of exactly what she wants, is enough to drive Kara's own need higher and higher right along with Cat's, and by the time Cat manages to force her eyes open long enough to look down at Kara with a desperate look Kara has already given into her own need for relief. She's moved her free hand between her own thighs, though she's moving slowly and waiting for Cat to be ready before she lets herself come.

"Do you want to come?" Cat manages to gasp out, and Kara nods her head as best she can without moving her tongue from where Cat needs it. "Then be a good girl and come for me," she says, holding eye contact until Kara begins to shudder through her release, the sight and sensation pushing her over the edge a moment after.

"Can we do this every time?" Kara asks wistfully as they recover, still on her knees with her cheek against Cat's thigh, not wanting to move from what's quickly become her favorite spot.

"Not every time, or they'll figure us out," Cat says reluctantly, finally moving her leg from its spot on Kara's shoulder. "But I might be persuaded to allow it once a month."

"I'll take it," Kara says with a wicked smile as she quickly speeds them back to fully dressed and at least half presentable before leaning in for a kiss.

After all, it was already the last week of this month, and Cat had another party scheduled for the next weekend. Not long to wait at all.

 


	7. The view from the mountaintop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Kara just needs a chance to get away for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sloth

Kara really wishes she could have even just one lazy day to herself. She deserves it, dammit. She's been saving the world and the city every day for over a year now, she really needs a break. But every time she tries, every time she tells the DEO she needs a day off to recover, that's always the day some alien threat decides to land and ruin her plans. She could leave the city in J'onn's hands for a day if it were just petty crime and general troubles, but she can't leave the city without her protection against the kinds of aliens who want to see humanity burn.

But finally she just gets tired of it all and takes off, heading anywhere she can think of as long as it's away. She avoids major cities, avoids anywhere she might be pulled into an emergency, just looking for a few hours to herself. She leaves Alex a message explaining and then turns her phone off, knowing she'll still be able to hear any of the Super watches if they go off while she's gone. She really hopes they don't though, and at least by now they all know that they're only to be used in case of absolute emergency that means the world is ending.

Somewhere over the Himalayas she hears a familiar voice, and stops flying to hover in midair in shock. She'd expected Cat to be somewhere in D.C. or Europe, not in the middle of nowhere with the nearest major city hour away. And without another thought Kara twists into a dive, seeking out the sound of that comforting voice as she comes to a careful landing in the middle of a group of structures. She gets a few strange or curious looks, but for the most part everyone just smiles at her when she walks up to Cat, welcoming her but not interrupting.

"Well, Supergirl, isn't this a surprise?" Cat asks with a smile, and Kara can feel herself returning it almost involuntarily. Maybe she'd needed this just as much as she needed a rest.

"You say that as if I'm not just as surprised," Kara says with a laugh as she tosses her hair behind her, hands on her hips in the familiar pose as if this is just another talk on Cat's balcony. As if they aren't in the middle of a mountain region halfway around the world from National City, as if Cat doesn't look far more casual than Kara has ever seen her.

"Well that's fair, I suppose," Cat says with a wave of her hand, and Kara finds herself tracking the movement without thought, drinking in the long missed sight of Cat and her mannerisms. Yes, she's needed this. "But I'm the one without responsibilities. If I decide to hide away for a while, that affects only me. Having Supergirl flying through the Himalayas, now that's an entirely different story."

"I needed a break," Kara admits after only a few seconds, unable to hold out against the pointed look Cat is sending her. "It's been pretty nonstop lately, I just needed to get away and catch my breath."

"Did you learn nothing from what I spent all that time teaching you?" Cat says with another pointed look, standing and directing Kara towards the dwelling behind her. "You can't do everything, Supergirl. Not all at once, and definitely not all on your own. You need to take a break, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it, definitely not so much so that you fly to the mountains of Bhutan to get away."

"I just needed some quiet," Kara protests, knowing that Cat is right but unable to stop thinking of all the things she could be stopping in National City right now, if she were there. "It's hard to turn it all off and just let myself be normal, you know?"

"You've got to learn," Cat says, pushing Kara down onto one of the chairs against the wall of the room.  "You're one person, Kara. One person with amazing abilities, but still only one person. You can't just launch yourself into every problem you find. It's not healthy for you, and it's not healthy for us, either. We have to be able to take care of things without a hero stepping in, or what will we do when you're not there?"

"I know," Kara says miserably, not bothering to deny the truth about her identity. There's no one around to overhear, and it's not like Cat hasn't had the opportunity to spread the story about her identity before this. Whatever else, Kara knows she can trust Cat with this. "But it's hard, you know? Not jumping in when you know you can do something."

"But you have to look after yourself as well," Cat says with a sigh, pacing the limited free space as if she's struggling with something of her own. "You have to let yourself realize when you need something just for yourself, when you need a moment that's just your own. It doesn't have to be long, or much, but sometimes that moment is all you need to carry you through the harder times you face."

There's more to that statement, Kara can tell that much without even trying. She knows Cat well enough by now to know when the woman is struggling with something, and it's not even her hero's instincts that have her rising from the chair to pull Cat in for a hug. That's all Kara, no Supergirl.

"So take your moment," Kara says, leaning her head down to rest on top of Cat's, grateful that she can finally do this as herself, not as only one of the personas that make up her identity. It's more freeing this way, though Kara wouldn't be able to explain why if she were asked. "If I deserve that chance, then so do you, Cat."

She wasn't expecting her words to make Cat pull back and look at her before leaning up and bringing their lips together, but as soon as the initial shock vanishes Kara is kissing her back, falling into the sensation of Cat pressed against her, something she'd never quite let herself want before.

"Come back to National City," Kara whispers once the kiss ends, their foreheads still pressed together as neither pulls back from the closeness between them. "You've been missed, Cat."

"I can't just yet," Cat says sadly, and Kara nods. Diving had been important to Cat, something she'd needed to do for herself. And Kara can't take that away from her. "But maybe you could make a few more trips out this way? Take some time for yourself while we figure this out?"

"I'd love that," Kara says with a smile, already looking forward to the next time she can head this way. "But I don't have to leave just yet, do I?"

"Oh no, Supergirl. I think we have a lot to catch up on before I let you go."

 


End file.
